What to Do with Kids in Malaga

Malaga has a little something for every member of the family – young and old, there’s a plethora of exciting and entertaining options available. This particularly pertains to families with children. Malaga is a truly wonderful family destination and no matter your child’s age, there will be many fun things to see and do once you arrive. Your biggest task will likely be deciding just how many activities you can fit in during your stay! To take but a cursory glimpse into all that is on offer, we have collected a handful of the very best things to do with kids in Malaga, hopefully inspiring you for your upcoming holiday to the Costa del Sol.

Explora Malaga

When on holiday, in any destination, it’s always good to learn more about the place that you are visiting, and providing your children with a sense of where they are will certainly allow them to appreciate their holiday that much more. That’s why taking a walking tour around Malaga city with Explora Malaga is highly recommended. Not just informative, their tours are great fun and provide an opportunity to see the delights Malaga has to offer, helping to decide what you want to revisit by car later on. From Tapas tours and Segway tours, to discovering the mysteries of Malaga at night, there will be something to take your fancy.

Explora Malaga spoke to us about what families can expect: “We have a big number of families with kids and even with babies that come with us to enjoy the history and culture of Malaga. Our main goal is to show the city in a different way, our tours are great fun to be a part of, we do tours with a lot of passion and love, always giving interesting facts and tips about the culture and history. So a tour with us would certainly be one that kids and adults would greatly enjoy.”

Benalmadena Butterfly Park

Benalmadena Butterfly Park (Mariposario de Benalmadena) is a wonderful butterfly park that should be visited by those holidaying in the Costa del Sol. Housed in a majestic looking Thai temple, visitors can discover more than 1500 butterflies from all across the world, found flying freely in a beautifully recreated tropical paradise.

We spoke to Elena Escribano, Head of the Educational Department at Benalmadena Butterfly Park, who told us about why travellers to this part of Spain should make sure to stop by:

“Benalmadena Butterfly Park is a very different place to visit, because it is a tropical garden with up to 1500 butterflies flying freely, made up of 25 different species.” As Elena describes, the park is “a botanical garden as well with plants from all over the world.”

“We are also a breeding centre,” Elena explains, “so the visitors can observe the entire lifecycle of a butterfly at the park: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly and most importantly: visitors can see how butterflies are being born. To see a butterfly hatching is one of the most beautiful moments that people can enjoy in our butterfly garden.

“Butterflies are flying totally free, and can land on people, which is a very interesting experience because visitors are directly in contact with them, without any fence or barricade. The sizes and colours of butterflies are delightful and it is a nice experience to walk through our paths enjoying the beauty of these insects.”

And to help visitors learn more about these amazing creatures, Elena explains that “every hour there is an explanation (given by biologists) for visitors in Spanish and English to tell them all about the butterflies and the way to take care of them – an educational talk which helps to complete the visit.”

Elena also spoke to us about the other animals that can be seen living freely at the park, including: “Wallaby, birds, fish, green iguana and tortoises. These really help children to enjoy the visit.” Children can also use a sheet to help them “look for and identify the butterflies, marking them on the sheet which can be a very fun game. They can also feed the fish and enjoy a piece of a tropical forest in the middle of the Costa del Sol.”

Bioparc

Located in nearby Fuengirola, just a twenty minute drive from Malaga airport, Bioparc is a zoo that has faithfully recreated some of the world’s most majestic tropical forests. If you and your family have always wanted to visit the island of Madagascar, Equatorial Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Indo Pacific, you’ll be in luck as Bioparc presents the chance to see them all in one wonderful location.

We spoke to Bioparc about why exactly this exciting attraction is such an appealing one for kids, and they told us the following: “For children this is one of the first times that they can find out about amazing species like gorillas, tigers or orangutans (the mythic King Kong, Shere Khan or King Louie in the Jungle Book) and species less famous like gibbons, binturong or lesser mouse deer – the smallest deer in the world.

“Children will feel like they are crossing Africa and Asia. From bridges, rocks, different levels of the ground, rivers, hills or fallen trees, they will be able to explore the habitats of Bioparc Fuengirola. Here the only barrier they will see are windows that let people be closer to dangerous animals like crocodiles or some of the funniest monkeys, like the northern talapoin.

“Bioparc Fuengirola has several activities where children can get right up close to the animals. For example, at the Madagascar island visit, children can be just centimetres from one of the most famous monkeys in the world, Julien King, a ring-tailed lemur. Visitors can be inside the lemur’s enclosure so they are with them without any barrier.”

For a chance to learn about the world’s animal kingdom and witness some unforgettable sights, a trip to Bioparc is a must.

Teleferico Benalmadena

Next up on our list is a chance to ride cable cars with Teleferico Benalmadena. Malaga is a truly beautiful destination and some of the best sights are to be found in its highest places. One such location is Mount Calamorro which provides the best views available of the Costa del Sol.

To reach it, families can look forward to the unique experience of riding in a cable car (bound to impress the little ones), and once at the top, there are wonderful hiking routes available to complement the stunning views, as well as must-see falconry demonstrations. The spectacular birds of prey exhibitions, set among the natural beauty of the surroundings, will without doubt become a memorable moment of your Malaga holiday.

Selwo Aventura

Selwo Aventura, the first Selwo park to feature in this article, is certainly an attraction that should feature on your Malaga to-do list. At Selwo Aventura, parents and kids will have the chance to explore stunning wildlife and discover the endlessly fascinating world of animals in various habitats. There’s a truly enormous range of animals to be found; from lions and hippos, to vultures and meerkats, all of which are bound to delight any children in the family. Selwo Aventura is more of an expedition than anything else, taking you through different lands from across the world. With adventure activities such as zip wires, archery, and hanging bridges included, it will make for a wonderful day out with kids in Malaga.

Selwo Marina

While renting a car in Malaga will allow you to see many wonderful sights during your stay, if you want to get up close and personal to the city’s aquatic world, a trip to Selwo Marina is certainly advised. Located in Benalmadena, Selwo Marina is the perfect companion activity to Selwo Aventura. All members of the family will find delight in seeing the multifarious marine life available, including the likes of dolphins, sea lions, and penguins. With delightful shows presented throughout the day, the kids are bound to be entertained and certainly impressed by the many wonderful tricks performed by the animals. Selwo Marina also offer a truly special ‘Unique Experience’ programme where visitors can meet and feed the penguins as well as get up close and personal with the dolphins. An experience not to be missed!

CostaWaterPark

Image credit: CostaWaterPark

For a chance to let the kids really release some energy, while also engaging them in some much needed exercise, CostaWaterPark will prove to be just the ticket. This water set play area is full with inflatable obstacles and fun delights to enjoy with siblings, friends, and other children. Set right on the water itself, kids will love whizzing down their giant slides and seeing who can make it across their balance bridge, all in a safe and controlled environment. Located a few yards off the best beaches in the Costa del Sol, this attraction is, according to CostaWaterPark, “guaranteed fun for all ages”. The park also ensure that professional lifeguards are on hand so parents need not worry during their visit. Make sure to visit their website for a full list of their locations.

Sunset Beach Club

There are many wonderful places to stay with your family during your visit, and one of these locations is Sunset Beach Club. With a perfect seaside location, wonderful amenities, accommodation, and lots of kids’ activities, it’s a hotel well worth looking into.

Sunset Beach Club spoke to us about what makes them an ideal holiday destination for you and your children: “Sunset Beach Club is a 4 star hotel/resort in Benalmadena. We’re ideal for family holidays as we provide apartment-style accommodation equipped with their own kitchenettes which allows parents quite a bit of freedom being able to cook their own meals.

“During the main summer school holidays we offer a full organised activities programme for 3 age groups: 4 to 10 year olds, 11 to 14 year olds and 15 to 18 year olds. During the summer months we also have our Dizzy, Pablo and Polly Day (our mascots) which features all day activities for the kids and gives parents a well-earned rest (please note there is an added charge for this activity.)

“We also have special shows for kids in the evenings in our Moonlight Theatre. These are usually tributes to popular kids’ films and feature all of our animation team who also take care of choreography, costumes, etc.

“We also have a special games room in the hotel with all sorts of arcade games for kids and a large kids’ adventure playground located next to the pool area.”

As you can surely see, staying with Sunset Beach Club during your visit to the Costa del Sol will be quite the treat for the whole family, and will place you in an ideal positon to enjoy all of what nearby Malaga city has to offer.

What to do with kids in Malaga

We hope you’ve enjoyed your journey through the many wonderful things there are to do with kids in Malaga. We think you’ll agree there are so many great options available, and that by selecting a few of the above on your next holiday, you and your children will be destined for a number of terrific days out.

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